Security Tips for University Managers

The National Disaster Management Unit, a Department under the Inspector General of Police Service has advised institutions in the country to introduce Biometric Identification Systems in the operations in order to arrest possible situations that could result in disasters.

While Kenya’s security personnel are doing everything possible to enforce the much needed security to citizens in a bid to averting dangers caused by the many cases of heinous attacks, individuals too, need to learn defensive skills that could help them keep out of danger.

Addressing JKUAT’s top management during a sensitization lecture at the Juja Main Campus, the Deputy Director of the Unit, Mr. Pius Masai Mwachi said criminals would easily be identified if identification systems were in introduced.

He urged University managements to bond with both students and staff in order to access vital information that was useful in preventing cases of insecurity.

“Let us not bury our heads in the sand. University students have become soft targets for radicalization because they can easily be lured into terrorism by promises of huge amounts of cash they may not be getting from their families”, noted Mr. Mwachi, adding, “This is why we need to bond with the students as well as staff so that they can avail insecurity information to us for speedy action.”

He proposed to University managements countrywide to establish emergency operation centres to be headed by the chief security officers that would from time to time review the security situation in such institutions.

Mr. Amos Onchiri gives a talk on how to disarm a criminal with a gun

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Mabel Imbuga urged all participants to take the training seriously as insecurity had become everyone’s concern. Her University, she said, would continuously ensure that all staff and students were protected in the best way possible.

The two week – long sensitization training, which included practical defensive drills, covers among others, safety, terror response and awareness, basic tactics and incident command system cum preparedness. It is being carried out in all the University’s 14 centres and Campuses countrywide.